A connector mounting structure for mounting a male connector to a circuit board is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,524 corresponding to JP-A-2004-206924. In the mounting structure, connector terminals extending from a connector housing are electrically connected (i.e., surface-mounted) to conductive lands formed on a mounting surface of a circuit board by reflow soldering to achieve high circuit density, miniaturization, and efficient manufacturing process.
The connector terminals have first end portions exposed to a first side of the connector housing and soldered to the circuit board and have second end portions exposed to a second side opposite to the first side to be connectable to a female connector. In short, the first and second end portions are exposed to the different sides of the connector housing. Therefore, as the number of the connector terminals (i.e., circuit density) is increased, the connector housing is longitudinally elongated so that the size of the circuit board is increased in a direction along the mounting surface. Accordingly, the size of an electronic apparatus employing the circuit board is increased. If the first and second end portions are exposed to the same side of the connector housing, the number of the terminals may be increased without increasing the size of the electronic apparatus.
However, in the case where the first and second end portions are exposed to the same side of the connector housing, the first end portions need to be soldered to the circuit board through inside the connector housing in view of the fact that temperature becomes high in the reflow soldering. Therefore, the connector housing needs to be placed on the circuit board, and the mounting surface is reduced accordingly. The size of the circuit board cannot be reduced, and the size of the electronic apparatus cannot be reduced.
Further, in the case where the first and second end portions are exposed to the same side of the connector housing, the first end portions are exposed to outside before the male connector is mated with the female connector. Therefore, short-circuit between adjacent first end portions may be caused by a conductive foreign matter that falls on the first end portions before the male connector is mated with the female connector. The short-circuit may be caused by the foreign matter that sticks to the female connector and falls on the first end portions after the male connector is mated with the female connector.
In a connector mounting structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-55383 filed by some of the present applicants, the connector housing is assembled as one piece from separate pieces to reduce the size of a circuit board, i.e., to increase circuit density of the circuit board. However, the short circuit cause by the foreign matter is not taken into consideration.